The Kree Empire is prepared to destroy the Sun and the Earth with it. Can even the combined Avengers and FF save the day? Your Major Spoilers review of Empyre #6 from Marvel Comics awaits!
EMPYRE #6
Writer: Al Ewing & Dan Slott
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: September 2, 2020
Previously in Empyre: There can be only one King of Space-and it’s the last liege standing! But as combat rages on, the clock ticks down to catastrophe! Will the ultimate interstellar weapon fry planet Earth before or after all sentient life on the planet is wiped out?
REED AND TONY MAKE THEIR MOVE
After spending the previous issues planning their move, Reed Richards and Tony Stark ended last issue ready for definite action. Interestingly, each is doing the other’s thing, as Reed launches himself into battle in a special armored suit, meeting the Celestial Messiah in hand-to-hand combat, while Tony considers the problem of a detonating sun from the lab. Franklin, Valeria, Spider-Man and Wolverine battle the forces of the Cotati in the streets of New York City, while The Human Torch and Captain Marvel pit their respective energy manipulation powers against an exploding sun. The Thing, Mantis and The Invisible Woman finally put down a rampaging possessed She-Hulk corpse, while Hulking convinces Captain Glory to turn on his boss, who has been impersonating Hulkling and The Black Panther proves that rumors of his demise last issue were somewhat premature. The Panther confronts the creature who has been calling itself the Swordsman, defeating both him and the Death-Blossom at his own game (with a meaningful tribute to the fallen Jacques Duquesne in the middle of the fight), leaving Iron Man to fix the star all by himself.
THINGS UNRAVELING QUICKLY
When things go south for the Kree/Skrull/Cotati factions in this issue, they go south fast, which may be due to things that happened in crossover issues that I didn’t read. Clearly something happened with Thor off-panel, but in the final analysis, it’s a pretty solid ending. Nearly everyone gets their moment, from Reed punching bad guys and taking names to Captain America leading in an army of reinforcements to Hulking and Wiccan becoming the royal family of a new Kree/Skrull alliance. It’s a lot, but it still manages to hold together, thanks in large part to Schiti’s excellent art. A full-page shot of Hulking, freed from his prison and mercifully taking his impersonator into custody is really strong, but the biggest moments tend to be the quietest ones, for me. We even get a jumping-off point for She-Hulk’s new series, as she gets resurrected through The Green Door in these pages. (If that doesn’t make sense to you, just remember that the Immortal Hulk had to get Immortal somehow.)
BOTTOM LINE: NOTHING SHOCKING, BUT A SOLID ENDING
As final chapters go, Empyre #6 works on the strength of its character moments as its big explosions, and the springboards for ongoing stuff are as important as the impending doom, with strong art and some really wonderful dialogue making for an impressive 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. As Kree-related Avengers crossover stories go, this one is up there with the original Kree/Skrull War for me, and far outstrips Operation: Galactic Storm, and I hope that Mantis and some of the other players stay on in their new roles/places as we move forward in the new SKREE era.
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EMPYRE #6
If you haven't been reading all the crossovers, this issue feels a bit abrupt, but it's a solid close for this story with some nice story hooks to go forward from.
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Writing7
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Art7
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Coloring7
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